VOICE
opera - audio excerpt
by
Whyte & McClure
Ron Whyte, librettist / Lee McClure, composer
Performers:
Robert Osborne, baritone, role: Ron Whyte
Iraida Noriega, mezz-soprano, role: Ms Ronnie Stier
Scenario:
The two characters in Ron Whyte’s autobiographical opera are the librettist himself and Ms. Ronnie Steir. They are both handicapped: Ron has two artificial legs and uses crutches; Ronnie is quadriplegic confined to an electric wheelchair.
Without sentimentality, the opera explores their three-year relationship of daily multi-hour phone conversations and infrequent meetings, leading up to Ms. Stier becoming a full-time disability activist.
See video of complete opera, staged reading with subtitles: